Method of applying slide fasteners



Dec. 30, 1952 E. A. YAFFE r METHOD OF APPLYING SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Aug'. 21, 1948 Patented Dec. 30, 1952 METHOD F APPLYING SLIDE FASTENERS Eli A. Yaff, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assigner to Acme Slide Fastener Co. Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a corporation of Canada Application August 21, 1948, Serial N0. 45,550

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the attachment of slide fasteners to garments, and particularly to an improved method of applying such fasteners to garment opening closures, Such as trouser flies, plackets, and the like.

In the application of slide fasteners to garment openings as closure means therefore, heretofore it has been customary to use a slide fastener of a length corresponding to the length of the opening to which it is to be applied. This necessitates the ordering and carrying in Stock by both the garment and slide fastener manufacturers various sizes of fasteners ready for applying to the respective sized openings in the garments. Then, difficulty was oftentimes encountered in trying to coordinate the size of the garment, as made up, with the size of the fastener, as finished, by the manufacturer. This further complicated the problem Since it was necessary to keep odd Sized fasteners in stock to take care of the requirement where oversize or undersize garment parts came from the cutting room.

In the present invention, it is proposed to supply the garment manufacturer with continuous fastener chain or Stringer which he may sew into the garment as desired, and then cut to length to satisfy the required length fastener applicable for the particular opening.

"Fastener Stringer," as the term is used herein, is defined to mean a flexible carrier, Such as a fabric tape, having a row of interlocking fastener elements attached to the edge thereof.

Fastener chain, as the term iS used herein, is defined to mean two slide fastener stringers made as above specified, the fastener elements of the two stringers being interlocked or engaged, and neither slider nor end stops being assembled on the stringers.

According to the broad aspects of the invention, a length of Stringer is taken from the free end of a continuous Stringer of a length sufficient to provide fasteners for a plurality of garments, the Stringer having no top stops and the fastening elements extending substantially to the free end of the Stringer is attached to a first part of a garment adapted to border one side of a closable opening therein before this first length is detached from the Stringer. The garment may be a pair of trousers, and the first part one'fiy portion of the trousers and the second part the other fly portion. The first length is then detached from the Stringer. A Second length of fastener Stringer is applied to a second part of the garment adapted to border the other side of the closable opening. Then, in the assembly 2 of the garment, the first and Second lengths of the fastener Stringer are brought together and meshed, a slider and bottom stop applied, and means applied at the top of the slide fastener to prevent the slider from coming off.

In another aspect of the invention, continuous chain iS used with the first length of Stringer on one side first attached to the first part of the garment. Then the stringers are disengaged and the second detached Stringer attached to the second part of the garment.

According to a further method of practicing the present invention, a first length of a fastener Stringer from the free end of the continuous length Stringer is attached to a part of a first garment, and before the length is detached from the continuous Stringer a second length is attached to a part of a second garment, whereby a plurality of lengths of the Stringer are sewn to a plurality of garment parts while the Said lengths remain attached to the continuous Stringer. Then the lengths are detached from the continuous Stringer. According to a refinement of this latter method, again continumis chain may be used and with both stringers being attached to the continuous length of chain while the first and second lengths are sewn to a plurality of parts of the first and Second garments, and the unsewn portion of the continuous chain is Subsequently cut from the continuous length chain.

The invention can best be illustrated by Showing a preferred application which is in applying a slide fastener to a trouser fiy construction. One way of doing this according to the invention is as follows.

A length of the Stringer is first sewn to the inner or white fly strip to the required length from the continuous chain in which the fastener elements extend substantially to the free end of the Stringer and in which the two stringers of the fastener are kept engaged while this sewing operation is performed. After the required length of fastener Stringer has been sewn to the inner or white fiy, the sewn part is cut from the continuous length of Stringer. The free unsewn Stringer is then disengaged from the opposed sewn Stringer and is sewn to the outer or black fly Stringer of the garment. The inner or White Stringer and the outer or black fly strip are then attached to the respective halves of the trousers and the garment completed in the usual manner; a waistband is applied to each half of the garment to cover the top ends of the fastener stringers which have been applied to the fly strips. Then, before the center seam 4is made through the crotch 'a slider is assembled on the fastener stringers and pulled up in order to complete the fastener and to close the ily of the garment. A staple is then applied at the bottom end of the fastener stringers so as to join them securely together at this end so as to prevent the slider from being removed or displaced from the bottom end of the completed fastener. Thus, it will be seen that a number of fly strips can be sewn to a continuous length stringer and detached therefrom as it is desired to use them.

Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved method of applying a slide fastener to a garment by employing continuous fastener chain or stringer.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved method of applying slide fasteners to garments which is more efiicient in its use, and reduces to a minimum handling both of the garment and the parts of the slide fastener.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a slide fastener chain as used in the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a white ily with the slide fastener chain attached, and illustrating particularly the rst step of the operation where the free end of the stringer is sewn to the white fly before it is cut from the roll;

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a fastener stringer sewn to the black ny;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 Vof Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 shows a number of white flies to which the fastener chain has been attached and before the individual lengths have been cut from the continuous chain; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary front elevation of a pair of trousers partially open and completed according to the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A represents a strip of continuous fastener chain, W is the inner or white fly strip of a pair of trousers to which the fastener chain is attached in a manner to be described, and B is the outer or blac fly strip of the trousers.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, my improved method is as follows. 'I'he operations are performed with the use of a continuous chain disposed preferably on roll 20, as shown in Fig. 6, from which the operator draws the desired length of continuous chain or stringer. In such continuous chain, it will be understood that the fastener elements extend substantially to the free end of the chain which constitutes the bottom of the slide fastener as applied to the garment.

In the first step, one of the stringers 22 of the '4 difference being that the sewing is accomplished while the stringers remain a part of the continuous chain while the two stringers 22 and 23 are still engaged.

The chain or stringers are then cut at the top of the inner or white fly W, for example, as along the line designated as 2i. 'Ihe free or unsewn stringer 23 of the chain is' then .disengaged from the sewn stringer 22. The stringer 22 thus separated is nowsewn to the corresponding outer or black fly strip B from the top, and preferably at the same time this ily strip is joined to the corresponding front III of the left trouser front along the line of stitching Il thus saving a separate seam.

The remainder of the trousers are then assembled in a conventional manner until the trousers are in readiness to have the center seam 32 Joined at the crotch. This is entirely conventional practice which will be readily understood to those skilled in the art. The mating outer or black and inner or white flies are matched in the conventional manner during the assembly of the trousers. The waistband or false waistband of the garment covers the top of the stringers on each side of the fly, then before the center seam 32 is made a slider 35 is assembled on the fastener stringers from the bottom thereof joining the respective stringers so as to provide a completed slide fastener. The next step is to apply a staple 36 adjacent the bottom end of the stringers so as to join them securely together and which acts as a stop for the slider.

It will be understood that while the invention has been described specifically as applied to attaching slide fasteners to the flies of trousers, it is also applicable to attaching slide fasteners to openings in other types of garments, as for example, to the placket opening in dresses, side opening in skirts, etc., as will be readily under stood by anybody skilled in such trades.

Several advantages of the present method are as follows:

1. The method makes it possible to apply slide fasteners to garments having all sizes of openings without carrying several .different sizes of fasteners in stock.

2. The method of assembling the slider on the stringers is easier because with the separated stringers having a free portion of tape at the end without any fastener elements, the tape will not go as easily into the slider as in the present case where the fastener elements extend substantially to the end of the tape.

3. 'I'he length of the slide fastener for each garment is exactly correct since the stringers are cut to length after being joined to the fly strips.

4. The sewing of the stringers to the white ily of trousers may be much faster since a continuous length of stringer may be sewn to several white flies in sequence before the separate portions of each fly are cut from the stringer so that the operator does not have to stop the sewing operation to perform a cutting operation, see Fig. 6.

5. A garment manufactured in this manner has an equally good appearance to a garment made from separate slide fastener portions.

6. In addition to these other advantages, retaining the slide fasteners in the form of continuous stringer or chain until their assembly into the garments reduces the chance of pilfering of individual units.

'It will be understood that the particular way in which the stringers are sewn to the garment may be varied. For example, in the preferred opening. This procedure may be varied, for example, by leaving the Stringers engaged while sewing the second Stringer to the garment, then the stringers cut at the'top to the desired length and the slider run over the top of the fastener lto separate the parts and the staple applied.

Other Ways will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the important feature of the invention being that the fastener stringers at least are partially attached to the garment while they remain a part of a continuous Stringer or chain.

While I have shown and described several embodiments which my invention may assume in stantmuy throughout the length of une Stringer practice, it will be understood that these embodiments are merely for. the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the Scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of applying a slide fastener to a garment which comprises attaching a first length of slide fastener Stringer taken from the free end of a continuous length of slide fastener Stringer of a length sufficient `to provide fasteners for a plurality of garments by4 permanent Stitching running lengthwise of the Stringer. to a first part of a garment adapted to border one side of a closable opening therein, the attachment being along a major portion of the length of said first part, detaching said first length from the continuous length of Stringer, attaching a second length of slide fastener Stringer from a continuous length of Stringer to a second part of the garment adapted to border the other side of the closable opening, both of said lengths of fastener stringers having fastener elements attached thereto substantially throughout the length'of the Stringer tapes, detaching the said Second length from the continuous length of Stringer,

and interengaging said nrst and second lengths of slide fastener Stringer by assembling a slider thereon So as to providea completed slide fastener for said garment.

2. The method of applying a slide fastener to a garment which comprises attaching a first length of a slide fastener Stringer taken from the free end of a continuous length of slide fastener chain of a length sufficient to provide fasteners for a plurality of garments by permanent stitching running lengthwise of the Stringer, to a first part of a garment adapted to-border one side A of a closable opening therein before the said first length is detached from the continuous chain, the attachment being along a major portion of the length of said first part, detaching the first length of slide fastener stringe'r together with the interengaged opposed second length of Slide fastener Stringer from the length of continuous chain. both of said lengths of fastener stringsrs having fastener elements attached thereto sub- 'able opening in said garments, attaching a first length of slide fastener Stringer taken from the free end of a continuous length of slide fastener Stringer. of a length suiiicient to provide fasteners for a plurality of garments by permanent Stitching running lengthwise of the Stringer to said plurality of Said first garment parts so as to provide a plurality of first garment parts successively attached to said length of Stringer. providing a plurality of second parts for a plu-l rality of said garments, attaching a second length of slide fastener Stringer taken from the free end of a continuous length of slide fastener Stringer of a length suiicient to provide fasteners for a plurality of garments by permanent Stitching running lengthwise of the Stringer to said plurality of said second garment parts vso as to provide a plurality of second garment parts Successively attached to said length of Stringer. both of said lengths of fastener stringers having fastener elements attached thereto substantially throughout the length of the Stringer tapes, cutting Iboth the rst land second lengths of slide fastener Stringer between each of said garment parts Stitched -respectively thereto So as to provide a plurality of individual firstr and second garment parts with each having a length of slide fastener Stringer stitched thereto, and interengaging the fastener elements of the lengths of fastener Stringer of pairs of first and second garment parts by assembling a slider thereon So as to providea completed slide fastener closure for each of said garments.

REFERENCES `CVI'IED The following references are' of record in the ille of this patent: l

UNITED STATES PATETS 

